Federal investigators arrested two San Gabriel Valley men this week in connection with an alleged scheme to procure and resell cigarettes without paying excise taxes through the Port of Los Angeles over the past two years, authorities announced Friday.

Yong “David” Lu, 54, of Arcadia and Wenzhu Guo, 54, of Monterey Park, both Chinese nationals, were arrested by federal agents Thursday morning, according to U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Thom Mrozek.

A New Player

Korean customs officials cite the ever-growing popularity of the IQOS device, which was launched in South Korea in June 2017, as the cause of all these increases in tobacco imports. The data does seem to prove their assumptions.

The IQOS device, created and marketed by Philip Morris International, is an electronic device that offers users a smokeless experience through heat-not-burn technology that heats tobacco inserts, known as HEETS, to deliver a feeling similar to that of smoking a traditional cigarette.

As rumors of a possible FDA ban on flavored e-liquids spreads across the vaping industry, an eerie tweet from the agency’s Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is getting a great deal of attention. Posted on February 17, Dr. Gottlieb seems to be issuing a warning to American vapers. Stop underage vaping or face the consequences.

In just 43 short words, the vaping community gets an inside look into the mind of the FDA Chief regarding the possible future of vaping. The tweet in question simply states the following.

“Adults can’t favor preserving properly regulated e-cigarettes as an alternative for smokers who quit combustible tobacco, and not at same time vigorously oppose child access to e-cigs. The industry isn’t sustainable if it leads to a whole generation of youth initiation on tobacco”

Philip Morris Gives An Update on iQOS review

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“The Committee’s two-day discussion was a milestone event. We thank the Agency and the Committee for their interest in our scientific dossier and our determination to enable adults who smoke to have access to and information about better alternatives.”

“As a next step, we look forward to working with the Agency to clarify outstanding points so as to best assist in their ongoing decision-making process, which inherently entails a certain degree of scientific uncertainty pre-market.”

Another challenge from the cigar industry has been filed against the FDA’s Deeming Regulations. Among the plaintiffs are a premium cigar retailer/lounge, a premium cigar manufacturer, and a non-profit association comprised of premium cigar manufacturers and retailers. The case is En Fuego Tobacco Shop LLC, et al. v. U.S. Food & Drug Administration, et al., No. 4:18-cv-00028 (E.D. Tex.).

According to the plaintiffs, “[t]he FDA’s new cigar and pipe tobacco warnings regime violates the First Amendment, the Administrative Procedure Act . . . , and the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act . . . . The underlying regulations must be enjoined, vacated in full, and remanded to the agency.”

CRE Brazil, an NGO which routinely reports on tobacco related issues, indicates that there is considerable interest in a study conducted by the Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan Italy. The study concludes:

“Our data indicate that 739,000 Italians have already tried IQOS, including 329.000 never smokers,” wrote researcher Xiaoqui Liu, of the Institute for Pharmacological Research ‘Mario Negri’ in Milan, and colleagues. “Moreover, another 1,205,000 Italian adults, including 619,000 non-smokers expressed their intention to try IQOS in the future.”